This invention relates to a small-sized radio controlled flying device intended to transport and to use air remote sensing equipment. It finds applications in the field of geology, agronomy, geography, pedology, hydrology or more generally the knowledge of the media and environment and the prevention of the risks of degradation for the environment.
Remote sensing by satellite images in the visible band or in other bands has seen rapid growth. However, in spite of the considerable increase of the resolution, it is still necessary to have high resolution pictures of the sites that are analysed, either because the satellite image has supplied an index that one seeks to confirm, or to correlate the information from both these types of sources.
To this end, one uses flying means such as aircraft, helicopter, let alone airships circulating at altitudes lower than the satellites and transporting remote sensing equipment. However, these means exhibit a certain number of shortcomings. They have more especially a very high use cost, they must be implemented by specialised personnel and they are subject to the administrative restraints governing the circulation of the airplanes: flight authorisation, flight-over . . .
It is thus advisable to have air means with reduced use cost and which can be implemented by non or little specialised personnel. Il has thus been suggested to use remote controlled airplane, helicopter or airship scale models. If such scale models are now commercially available for a relatively small cost and the radio means are fully developed, nevertheless they are not particularly suited to transporting a load and more especially remote sensing equipment. In fact, these scale models are relatively fragile, exposed to important vibrations, to reduced autonomy and to a steering capacity involving consequent and specialised training.
However, small-sized radio controlled airships, moreover the low cost of their implementation, advantageously are free, or pratically free, with administrative constraints as regards their use. More especially, in France, the maximum flight altitude is limited to 150 m, which is sufficient for the aimed application and several radio frequencies for the remote control are available.
This invention suggests therefore using the advantages of aero modelling: low cost, minimum administrative use constraints, simplicity of implementation and safety for the operators by providing a device which enables to transport a charge of a few kilos, while ensuring proper safety of the on-board equipment and involving only a few hours training to acquire suitable steering abilities.
Thus, this invention relates to a small-sized radio controlled flying device propelled by a thermal engine with pusher type airscrew for the transport and use of remote sensing equipment, said device enabling short take-off and landing by taxiing and enabling to fly at maximum 35 Km/h.
According to the invention the device comprises a pod and wings:
the pod is a rigid tricycle carriage of substantially pyramidal jig with rear base and front apex, lower plane, two lateral planes and an upper plane, the base is a welded one-piece element and comprising the engine, the airscrew, a tank and the radio control, the apex is a welded one-piece element, the lower plane and both lateral planes comprising spars at least assembled to the base and to the apex, the lower plane comprising at its three end angles two rear wheels and a front wheel, the front wheel being provided to protrude forward into the apex and the wheels being low pressure tires, the pod is dismountable by disengagement to enable the transport of said device with reduced volume, since at the rear the base can be disconnected from the spars and at the front the spars can be disconnected from the apex and the wheels being dismountable;
the wings are a supple caisson-type parachute comprising a leading edge with scoop and rear edgings, said wings being connected to the pod by two front slings and two braking slings acting on the rear edgings.
In various embodiments of the invention, the following means used individually or according to all their technically possible combinations are implemented:
each of the lateral planes comprises an upper spar, said spar being bent substantially towards its front end and comprising a wings attachment by a front sling and at least one equipment attachment, the wings attachment being of sliding type to enable variation of the balance of the device in relation to the equipment transported;
at least the spars are made of ZICRAL(copyright);
the assembly is provided by bolts and wing nuts;
the assembly is provided by bolts and wing nuts comprising a braking means NYLSTOP(copyright);
the wings is connected to the pod by the two quick-release front slings;
the quick-release means is a snap hook;
the engine is a 2-stroke engine with cubic capacity ranging between 10 and 50 cm3;
the airscrew is two-blade and has a diameter ranging between 30 and 50 cm;
the airscrew is provided in a protective casing;
the wings have a surface ranging between 2 and 6 m2;
the device is characterised by the following approximate parameters:
5.5 kg maximum total mass density for 2.4 m2 wings and 7 kg for 3.8 m2 wings;
4.8 kg maximum empty mass density with full tank;
wheels with 150 mm diameter;
jig of the cell: height at the base 620 mm, width at the base 650 mm, base/apex distance 750 mm;
the engine is a 23 cm3 2-stroke engine with electronic ignition and manual start by cord launcher with membrane carburettor and valve admission through the casing;
the radio control comprises at least one gas throttle acting on the speed of the engine and two winch controls acting on both braking slings;
the equipment attachment is of the pendulum type for absorbing the front-rear and lateral movements;
the equipment attachment comprises a first front-rear supporting tube mobile to rotate around its axis at each of both its ends on a transversal support integral with the pod, the rotation of the first supporting tube being absorbed by a first hydraulic shock-absorber integral with a spar, at least one piece of equipment being suspended from a fork-mounted suspension tube and pendular on the first supporting tube, the pendulum formed by the suspension tube being moreover absorbed by a second hydraulic shock-absorber integral with the first supporting tube;
at least one transversal support is fastened to the upper spars;
at least one transversal support is fastened to the base;
both transversal supports are fastened to the upper spars;
at least two pieces of equipment are suspended by two suspension tubes and at least a hinged linking arm connects said two suspension tubes to the second shock-absorber in order to provide a modifiable flat trapezoid;
the trapezoid is a parallelogram;
the first supporting tube comprises mounting orifices provided on its length in order to select the mounting position of the fork of the suspension tube along said first supporting tube;
the linking arm comprises mounting orifices provided on its length in order to select the position of the hinge at the suspension tube along said linking arm;
three pieces of equipment are suspended from three suspension tubes;
the elements are selected among the photo cameras, camcorder, camera, optic transducers;
the transversal supports are fastened to the pod by means of silent blocks-type shock-absorbers;
a stop handle is fastened at the rear and at the top of the base of the pod.